Touching Lives
I wish I could thank you in person for taking the time to support me and my mission to assist Kentucky tornado victims (“Family Matters,” March 2022, page 79). Today, with the daily demands most of us face, many folks lose sight of how blessed we really are. We find it more and more difficult to get involved, to pause and help those who are suffering. To become a Samaritan.
Please know how grateful I am to you, [FMCA chief executive officer] Chris Smith, your social media team, and so many others. Without your support and involvement, many of your members within FMCA may not have realized the ongoing need for assistance in Kentucky.
But I know we have and will touch the lives of those we will never meet, and the blessing of our efforts will continue. And that’s enough!
I have one more request. Please share this letter with those who shared my dream and got involved to make this effort a reality. I hope each of you will feel the joy of helping others.
— Jim Brooks, F428700
Buckhead, Georgia
Thankful And Grateful For The FMCA Family
On March 18, 2022, my lovely wife of 42 years suffered a cardiac arrest in our motorhome while we were in Tucson for the RV Driving School just prior to the FMCA convention. After calling 911 and opening the door and hollering out, “I need help,” I experienced the true meaning of family in FMCA. People came running to help — total strangers one minute, family the next.
My wife was taken to one hospital and then another for what I can only describe as excellent care. Doctors and cardiologists did all they could for her, but it didn’t work. On March 23, she passed away.
It is only with the support of FMCA staff and members that I can bear witness to the two worst days in my life — my wife’s attack and her passing. There are so many people in this organization who helped me and are still helping me. I would like to give public thanks to some I can name and the many others I can’t.
Pastor Jim Hollis, FMCA chaplain, supported me when my needs were the greatest. John Mayleben of the RV Driving School was a big teddy bear who stuffed himself into my car to guide me to the hospital. FMCA national president Rett Porter helped me with FMCAssist and did everything he could do. There are so many people to thank, I think I would be here until the next convention. That said, FMCA is a true family, and for that I am thankful and grateful.
— Ronald Wouda, F496186
Redmond, Oregon
Tucson Charity Expresses Thanks
Editor’s Note: During FMCA’s convention in Tucson, Arizona, in March, attendees participated in several activities to benefit Casa de los Niños, a local organization that offers support for children and families at risk of abuse, neglect, and crisis. These endeavors resulted in the donation of $8,220 plus 88 quilts and knitted/crocheted blankets. Following is the letter FMCA received in recognition of these contributions:
On behalf of the children and families we serve each day, we here at Casa de los Niños would like to thank you and the “On Road Quilters” team for your wonderful gift. Your decision to provide support means so much and comes at a time when the need for these services is increasing. As a donor to our organization, you and the FMCA family are a very important partner! It is with great honor that we received your handmade quilts, and rest assured, they will be greatly appreciated by the children and the families that we serve.
We are in our 49th year of service and are so grateful for a wonderful, caring, and committed community that supports and partners so generously to help children and families stay together and live better lives! Gifts like yours demonstrate the important role our community has always played in the growth of our organization. For almost 50 years we have provided critical services directly to thousands of children and families as they work through times of crisis and through their journey to achieve lifelong stability. Today, we touch the lives of more than 10,000 children and families each year, and it is thanks to gifts from caring people like you that we are able to continue with our mission. Thank you so much!
Casa de los Niños remains steadfast in our commitment to help those most in need, but we couldn’t do it without the support of people like you! Your gift is greatly appreciated and will help make our mission possible to prevent child abuse and neglect and help families stay together!
— Susie Huhn
Chief Executive Officer
Casa De Los Niños
Tucson, Arizona
Corrections
The “RV Products” column in the March 2022 issue included the Canon EOS R6 digital camera. This mirrorless camera was referred to in error as a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.
The “Family Matters” column in the April 2022 issue included a photograph of Lorraine Brockway, F43899, a member of the Camping Squares chapter. Unfortunately, Lorraine’s last name was spelled incorrectly in the caption.
Family RVing magazine regrets these errors.